The strike of pilots from Deutsche Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa CityLine, and Eurowings has begun. The airports of Frankfurt am Main and Munich are affected the most. Passengers are advised to check the status of their flights.
Pilots of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Lufthansa Cargo AG, and Lufthansa CityLine GmbH began a strike at 00:01 local time (01:01 in Riga) on Monday, April 13. Additionally, pilots of Eurowings GmbH, operating flights from German airports, joined the strike. The action is initiated by the pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit, reports DW.
The airports of Frankfurt am Main and Munich are affected the most, according to the dpa agency.
The strike by Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Lufthansa Cargo AG, and Lufthansa CityLine GmbH will last until April 14 at 23:59 local time (April 15 at 00:59 in Riga), while Eurowings GmbH will strike until April 13 at 23:59 local time (April 14 at 00:59 in Riga).
At the same time, Eurowings suggested on April 12 that it would still be able to operate "the majority" of its schedule. The airline can also count on support from Eurowings Europe and partner airlines, said the charter flight operator.
Passengers are advised to check the status of their flights directly with their airlines in advance.
A Number of Flights Will Not Be Affected Amid Instability in the Middle East
Due to the ongoing instability in the Middle East, pilots of Lufthansa and CityLine flying from Germany to Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are exempt from the strike.
Union Demands
"The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots' union has been forced to take this step after the employer did not express a clear willingness to seek a resolution in several labor disputes. Despite a conscious decision to refrain from striking during Easter, serious proposals have not been received. There has been neither a response nor a clear willingness to negotiate from the employers," stated VC chairman Andreas Pinheiro.
Union representatives explained the call for a strike by stating that Lufthansa or Lufthansa Cargo have not yet submitted proposals for corporate pension programs. The same situation applies to CityLine's proposals for a collective agreement with employees. "Moreover, Eurowings' proposal for corporate pension programs is unacceptable and so low that it hardly deserves such a name," noted VC.
Pinheiro called the strike "a last resort, an attempt to save failed negotiations" and placed the responsibility for it on the employer. VC also urged its members to participate in a rally of the flight attendants' union UFO, which will take place on April 15 in front of the Lufthansa office at Frankfurt am Main airport.
Fourth Wave of Lufthansa Strikes
This is already the fourth wave of Lufthansa strikes since the beginning of the year.
Previously, on April 10, flight attendants of Lufthansa went on strike. According to the German Airports Association ADV, more than 520 flights could have been canceled at that time, affecting approximately 90,000 passengers.
Two rounds of pilots' strikes had previously taken place.
